Detention guard



L. H. DlTTIcH DETENTION' GUARD Feb. 4, 1930.

Filed March 2, 1929 )i 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. LOYDH-DI Patented Feb. 4,y 1930 PATENT- oFFlcE DETENTION GUARD This invention is al guardy for windows, and while of generalapplication, is specially designed as a detention 'guard for use in hosv pitals, asylums' and other institutions where f5 detention is necessary.

The device ofthe present invention is entirelyV complete in itself and capable of being installed in a window opening at the eX- terior of the window sashes in cooperative "1'0 relation with the window j ambs and the win- ,dow sashes in such a .manner as to prevent unauthorized ingress and egress thru the windowy when the Vlower sash isin a raised position, and while not interfering with the lowering of the upperA sash for ventilation purposes, limits such lowering beyond the point wherein a person could enter or escape through the window and over the top of the upper sash when. lowered.

The guardmember of thepresent invention may bey conveniently swung outwardly and downwardly into subsequently horizontal positionatth'e outer side of the window so as toserve as a platform on which one may stand in cleaningor painting the window or for any other purpose. f Y 'In the normal condition of the guard the fastening means forj securing it vtothe window jambs areall effectively covered and inaccessible so as to prevent unauthorized Vdisplacement of the guard. Moreover the guard is Akey-lockedin its normal condition, against unauthorized manipulation.` ]henunlocked and in position for useV as 35" ay platform, access maybe had tothe fasteningdevice so as to enable the convenient installation as Well as `the removal of the device. With, these andL other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination 40 and arrangementof parts aswill be hereinafter more fullyfdescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and` particularly pointed out in the Vappended claims, itof course being understood that changesN in the form, size and minor details-may be made, withinthe scope of the claims, ywithoutv departingK from the spirit yor sacrificing anyof the.l aduantages. Y.

Inthe drawings- Application rled March 2,

Figure l is a fragmentary front elevation 1929. serial No. 343,934.

of a window. equipped with the guard ofthe present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure l with the guard member disposed foruse as a platform.

Figure 8l is a plan section on the line 3-3 of Figure l. g y

Figure 4l is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a window guard embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation showing the manner of mounting and housing the lock.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional view showing the manner of bracing the stop for the upper sash.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan section showing certain details.

The guard member, which isy employed to barthe lower half of the window, is a grille of any desired ornamental forni and of a size and shape to fit between the opposite window jambs. In the specific embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the grille includes a pair of upper cross-bars l and 2, a bottom cross-bar 3, upright side bars, one of which is shown in the drawings and designated 4,r and pickets or uprights 5 constituting a filler and completing the grille.

Each upright side ofthe grille is mounted upon and secured to the adjacent window jamb 6, shown in the drawing as a masonry j amb, although it willbe understood that the grille is equally applicable to wooden and metal jambs. Themanner of mountingthe grille is the same at each upright edge thereof and therefore a description of one mounting is deemed sufficient. An upright mounting bar 7 is placed flat against the adjacent window Yjamb kand secured thereto in any suitableniannerby any suitable fastenings, as indicated at 8, passing through the bar vand entering the jamb, the headsy of the fastenings preferably being countersunk in the eX- posed face. of the bar. This bar reaches from the window sill 9 upwardly a suitable distance, and at its bottom end is yenlarged laterally in the plane ofthe window, as at 10,

to form a bearing boss which is provided with a cylindrical bearing socket to receive a horizontal hinge pintle 11 'provided at the adjacent lower corner of the grille or guard member. As shown in the drawings, the pintle 11 is provided with a flat attaching shank 12 applied to the under side of the lower.

At each upper corner of the guard, there is a key controlled lock 14, having a bo-lt 15 to engage a suitable keeper on theV adjacent mounting bar, shown in Figure 2 as a slot or opening `16, whereby the guard member may be eflectually locked against unauthorized displacement whiley in its normal operative position and functioning as a bar to ingress and egress through the lower half of the window. u

In the operative position of the grille or guardmember, each upright side bar 4 covers the heads of the fastenings 8 and prevents unauthorized. removal thereof, Wherefore unauthorized removalof the guard member is effectually prevented by the seating of the e locking bolts 15 and the pintles 11 in the seats or sockets provided in the mounting bars 7.

To prevent tampering with each lock, it is preferred to employ a inortice lock andy to house the same in a housing 17 provided between the top'cross-bars 1 and 2 of the guard member. This housing has anopening at the outer edge of the guard member through which the lock may be introduced into the housing, the usual attaching plate 18 of the lock being morticed in the outer face of the upright side bar 4 and secured in place by suitable fastenings 19, which are of course covered. by the mounting bar 7 and there-V fore inaccessible in the normal position of the guard member. Thelock housing 17 is provided with a key hole 2O in each of its inner and outer walls so yas topermit 'un-V locking from opposite sides of the grille. It is important to provide for unlocking from the exterior of the building in the event of lire or other condition where ingress from the exterior of the building isdesired.

By unlocking the locks, the guard member may be swung outwardly and downwardly from its normal upright position to a substantially'horizontal position, as shown in Figure 2, so as to form a 4platform on which one may'stand for the purpose of washing, painting or repairing the window. 1n this platform function of the guard, it is supported at each outeredge by a brace made up of links 21 and 2v2, pivotally or hingedly connected togetheras at 23'in` lapped relation. The link member 21 has its upper end pivoted to the mounting bar, as at 24, while the link member 22 has its outer end pivoted at 25 to the upright side bar 4 of the guard member. A stop 26 is provided upon the inner end portion of the link member 22 and at the outer side of the pivot 23-and disposed to engage the under edge of the link VVmember 21, in the extended or unfolded condition j of thevhbrace and before the link members come into longitudinal alinement, therebyto prevent the link members from coming into longitudinal alinement with the three pivots 24, 23 and25 along a dead center, whereby folding of the links from the position of Figure 2 to the position of Figure 1 willv be facilitated. It will here be noted that the upright side bar 4 of the guard is offset inwardly of the guard in theplane thereof from the bottom of the guard upwardly to the lock so as to form a pocket or space between the edge of the guard member and the adjacent mountingbar 7 and in which the link members of the brace are 'accommodated in ythe normal upright position of the guard member.

swing upon their pivotal supports 24 and 25 in the normal position ofthe guard, as in Figure 1, and toprevent the links fromvbeing VInasmuch as the links 21 and 22 are free to Y pushed out into 'an unsightly position aty the exterior of the building, a stop membery 26l hook or eye 27 projecting outwardly therefrom above the links, and intended for the attachment thereto of one end of a guard strap or the likesuch as is commonly employed by window-washers, thereby to guard against a window-washer. being pushed od ofthe platform by an inmate of thehospital,

playfully or otherwise.

The guard member is, of course, wide enough to extend substantially across or atV least to the bar the entire width of the space between the window jambs.

the vertical dimension of the lower window sash 28, `as will be understood `by rreference to Figure 2 of the drawings, buty it'must be f such that the space between the top of the guard member and the meeting rail or bottom of the upper sash 29is toofsmall to permitingress/or egress overjthe top of the guardr The height orV the guard member maybe slightly less than) member and below the bottom of the upper i sash. Y A

While the'upper sash 29 maybe lowered for ventilation purposes, this lowering is limited by'a stop 30 which projects inwardly from the 'upper end of the side bar 4, vone for each side bar, and occupies a horizontal position `underlying the'bottom of the upper sash,

whereby the upper sash cannot be lowered sufliciently to permit ingress or egress over the top thereof. Although the window sashes may be of wood or metal, metal is preferred A as it is stronger and will better resist attacks Yglass should be broken out. f

It will of coursebe understood that the guard member is mounted at the exterior of the window sashes so as to leave the sashes rfree to be opened and closed. When there are screens, as in all hospitals, and the like, such as shown at 3l and 32, the guard is ymounted at the outer side thereof so that .they may be free to be pushed up and down. The relativelyoifset relation between the top and bottom portions of each side bar 4 of the guard member, see Figure 1, disposes the sash stop close to the window jamb,

see Figure 3, so as tov lie beyond the outer l upper sash is also notched or slotted to permit the stop 30 to project into the slide-way. The bottom walls of the slots or notches support the stop 30 and brace it against the weight and the impact ofthe rupper sash.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of a detention guard barring the window opening opposite the lower sash, and provided with means in cooperative relation with one of the sashes to limit the lowering there- `oi and also locked against unauthorized removal,said guard being hinged at its bottom on a horizontal axis to facilitate moving i the guard into and out of cooperative relation with said sash.

'2. The combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of a vdetention guard barring the window opening opposite the lower sash, located at' the exterior of the plane of the upper ksash n and provided with means in cooperative relation with the upper sash tol limit the lowering thereof, and fastenings securing the guard to the .window jambs, that part of the guard .which bars the lower window opening normally covering the fasteningsand preventing unauthorized access thereto, said part of the guard also -capable of displacement to give Y authorized kaccess to said fastenings, and a lock for locking said displacement part in t its normal position.

y3. The combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of a detention guard barring the window opening opposite the lower sash, located at the eX- f terior of the plane of the upper sash vand provided with means in cooperative relation with the upper sash to limit the lowering thereof,

and fastenings securing thel guard to the window jambs, that part of the guard which bars the lowerk window opening normally covering the fastenings and preventing unauthorized access thereto, said part of the guard also capable of displacement to give authorized access to said fastenings, and a lock for lock-` ing said displacement part in its normal position, the displacement part of the guard being shiftable into a subsequently horizontal positionfor use as a platform Whenfunlocked.

4. The, combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of, a detention guard barring the window opening opposite the lower sash, located at the exterior of the plane of the upper sash and provided with means in cooperative lrelation with the upper sash to limitthe lowering thereof, that part of the guard thatbars the lower window opening capable of being shifted into a subsequently horizontal position for use as a platform, and a lock for locking said displaceable part of the guard in its normal uprightposition for barring the window.

5. The'combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of a detention guard barring the window opening opposite the lower sash and located at the exterior of the upper sash, said guard being provided with a stop member projecting inwardlyvbeneath and in the path of the bottom of the upper sash to limit the lowering thereof and means carried by the guard for locking the same against unauthorized displacement, said guard being pivotally supported at its bottomv on a horizontal axis to facilitate the positioning and removal of the stop member with respect to the upper sash.

G. The combination with opposite window jambs and upper and lower window sashes, of a detention guard barringthe window opening opposite the lower sash, located at the eX- terior of the plane of the upper sash and provided with means in cooperative relation with the upper sash to limit the lowering thereof, that part of the guard which bars the lower window opening being hinged and capable of being swung down into a subsequently horizontal position for use as a platform, a brace for supporting the guard member when used as a platform and including pivotally connected link members, one link member being pivotally connected to the hinged guard member and the other link being pivotally connected to the iamb, said link members capable of being folded upon one another to lie in an upright position between the window jambs and the guard member in the upright position of the latter, and the guard member having a stop lying across the front of the links to prevent the latter from being pushed outwardly, and means for locking the guard against unauthorized displacement.

7. A detention guard for Windows, comprising a pair of mounting bars to be secured to the Window jambs, a guard member torelose the space between the mounting bars and hinged at its bottom to said mounting bars and capable of being moved from an upright guard position into a subsequently horizontal position for useas a platform, oldable braces bet-Ween the guard member and the mounting bars, and locks for locking the guard member With the mounting-bars in the normal upright position of the guard member. n

r 8. A detention guard for Windows, comprising a pair of mounting b'ars to be secured to the Window jambs, a guard member to close the space between the mounting bars and hinged at itsbottom to saidfmounting bars and capable of being moved from an upright guard position into a subsequently hori-V zontal position oruse as a platform, oldable n braces between the guard member andthe mounting bars, locks for locking-.the guard member With ,the mounting bars in thenormal upright position of the guard member, and sash stopsextending inwardly from the upper portion of the guard member in posi# tion to underlie an upper sash and limit dovvnward movementthereof;

9.- A detention guard for Windows, comprising a pair of spaced upright mounting bars to be secured to Window jambs, fastenings for the mounting bars, a detention grille occupying and closing the space between the mounting bars and covering the astenings against access thereto, said r grille being hinged at its lower endto the mounting bars and capable of being turned down into'a substantially horizontal position for use as a platform and to uncover the astenings of the mounting bars for access thereto, and means for locking each upper cornerof the grille to the adjacent mountingv bar.

kLLOYD H. DITTRICH. 

